I slowly opened my eyes, lying weakly on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling illuminated by my room light. How on earth did I end up in my bed? Last I remembered, I met a disheveled woman right in front of the convenience store, and then…
*Click
The door opened. My mom came in, bringing a glass of water, a bowl of warm porridge, and some medicine for me.
"Andri! You're awake?"
Her expression was a mix of panic and joy when she saw I was conscious again. Her steps quickened, and she placed the bowl of porridge, topped with some lettuce, on my nightstand. The medicine and glass of water she'd brought on a tray were right there too.
"What happened?" I asked, a bit confused, trying to sit up. My head felt a little dizzy.
"You suddenly fainted in front of the convenience store. They found your ID and called home right away."
Hearing my mom's brief explanation, I paused for a moment. Without hesitation, I started asking about something my mom wouldn't know. Now I remembered everything. It seemed someone had manipulated my world.
"Fainted? Oh, right! How are Sylvia and Nico doing?"
"Sylvia? Nico? Who are they?"
"Huh?"
"Oh dear, you must still be out of it. I'll call the doctor to check on you, so eat that porridge while it's warm and take your medicine so you can calm down."
"Okay…"
The door closed softly. My mom left my room and spoke quietly on the phone.
I got out of bed and slowly walked to the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror and opened my shirt. There was a black star mark in the middle of my chest. I felt a little relieved that Adam was still with me.
I began to realize this wasn't my world. Maybe it was just a bad dream, or perhaps I was in a different universe. Could this be their doing? Damn it! I need to get out of this ridiculous dream, fast!
Even so, I didn't know how to get out. It was true Adam was with me, but I had no clue how to escape. As I pondered and thought hard, only the two of them came to mind.
"Ah, maybe Keant and Ghoell can help!"
– –
The next day, as I opened the classroom door, Keant and Ghoell suddenly lunged at me. They seemed genuinely worried. I could only smile and thank them, calming them down as they looked a bit sad.
"So, how are you feeling now?" Keant asked.
As I walked to my seat, I answered him, "Yeah, better. But the pain might come back."
Ghoell pulled out a lunchbox, slightly bigger than usual. "I figured that would happen, so to celebrate your recovery, I asked my mom to make you some too."
"You shouldn't have bothered. Besides, I'm still not sure about my recovery."
"That doesn't sound good when you say it like that, especially since my mom made this with all her heart…"
His face started to look downcast now. I patted his shoulder and thanked him, then took my seat at my desk.
"Then how about we eat on the school rooftop this afternoon?" Keant suggested.
"Interesting! How about it, Andri?"
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's have lunch there together."
"By the way, Ghoell, didn't you bring lunch for me too?"
"Oh, sorry. When I told my mom about Andri, she suddenly wanted to make more."
"Now I feel a little sad…"
Even though he said that, he was just joking. I'm sure Ghoell understood what Keant meant.
"It's okay, how about we combine our lunches? Coincidentally, I also brought lunch today."
"It'll look like a party then, haha…"
Keant's laughter was accompanied by the school bell, signaling that class was about to begin. I started to feel that the three of us really enjoyed our time together. Ghoell with his silly antics and Keant with his subtle jokes made me very reluctant to end this foolish dream. But what can I do? This isn't my real world. I have to explain to them that I'm not the real Andri. Most likely, the Andri from this world is being held somewhere. I'll find out later.
The three of us were on the school rooftop now. The slightly warm wind gently caressed us. Keant sat on my right, and Ghoell on my other side. Ghoell opened his lunchbox and served us.
"Dig in!"
I took some side dishes from the lunchbox and mixed my food with the rest.
"Hey… do you guys feel something strange?" I asked them. To be honest, it was a bit rushed, but I had to end this foolish dream as soon as possible.
"Strange?" Keant thought for a moment, then pointed at me with his spoon. "I think you're the strange one lately."
Without a word, Ghoell nodded in agreement and wolfed down a rolled egg the size of his pinky finger. With a bewildered expression, I spontaneously replied, "Me?"
"Lately, you've been having frequent headaches, haven't you? Isn't that already very strange?"
"That's true…"
"What's more…" Ghoell suddenly interjected after finishing the rolled egg he just ate, "lately your behavior has been a bit different too."
"Really?"
"At the karaoke, you were often daydreaming, and when we played at the arcade, you always lost. I think that alone is strange."
I didn't want to deny it, but what he said was a fact, especially about how bad I was at the arcade. In my original world, I was indeed bad, but was I that good in this world? Without any resistance, I could only admit their words.
"I'm a bit bad at those things."
Just as I was about to eat the side dish I'd taken from my lunch, Keant suddenly said something odd. "Didn't you just win the inter-city arcade tournament last month?"
His words froze me for a moment. I put back the side dish I was about to eat and turned my gaze to Keant.
"Arcade tournament? What's that?"
Ghoell moved closer to me and looked at me intently. "Hey, don't joke, Andri! We both saw you back then; you defeated the reigning champion and became the best at that time."
"Really?"
Ghoell pulled his face away for a moment. He put his utensils back in his lunchbox, then moved closer to Keant and whispered, "I knew it, this kid is a bit different."
I could hear him clearly! Both of them were whispering right behind my back. I didn't want to deny it, so I just reacted to their whispers by intentionally turning my face away.
"Can I ask one more thing?"
They both looked at me in surprise when I wanted to ask another question.
"What?" they replied in unison.
"Do you know a female student named Sylvia?"
Ghoell and Keant looked at each other in confusion. For a moment, they thought, then quickly shook their heads in unison.
"You don't know her? Sylvia, Sylvia Forte! The prettiest and most famous female student in this school!"
"I only know a few female students in this school, but I haven't found a student with that name. How about you, Ghoell? You're a lady killer, aren't you?"
When Keant said that, Ghoell suddenly choked. He took a bottle he was carrying and drank from it, then denied Keant's statement in a slightly raised tone. "That's rude! Even if I look nerdy, I can still be popular! But I've never heard of Sylvia Forte either. Is she that pretty?"
It felt a bit confusing, so I suddenly changed the topic and asked something else. "Forget it, how about Nico?"
"Nico…???"
They both looked at each other in confusion and then quickly shook their heads again.
"He's a school gardener here."
"Is that old woman named Nico?"
"Old woman?"
Who was he talking about? I was very sure Nico wasn't an old woman, but rather a muscular, somewhat large man. "Huh? He's not an old woman?" he continued.
I started repeating my question and tried to make them remember the people I knew. "Nico… Nicolas Luis, you don't know him?"
"I already told you, we don't know. All the names you mentioned are very foreign to us!"
"Andri, I think you should go to the doctor."
Hearing that, I now began to understand what was happening. This wasn't my world, or perhaps this was a dream world—created by a man who fought Sylvia. So that's it… I understand! I clearly remember when I defeated him, at that exact moment, my entire body suddenly became weak, and I fainted. And then…
"No, that's not it!"
"Huh? Andri, what's wrong?"
Unconsciously, I mumbled to myself, but oh well. I quickly finished my lunch and put my lunchbox away.
I spontaneously stood up slowly and faced the horizon. Right up there, a star began to shine, revealing itself. Gradually, the light from the star grew brighter and moved closer to me.
"I see… Thank you for making me realize, Adam!"
"Andri… is everything okay?"
I turned to them and looked at them with compassion. I knew this wasn't my original world, but for some reason, I felt that the time I spent with them was more than just a brief encounter.
"Thank you, both of you have been my best friends all this time."
"What's suddenly…"
Ghoell and Keant looked at each other in confusion. That was to be expected. Any normal person would be confused if their friend suddenly said something like this. It was a bit embarrassing, but I had to continue so I could return to where I belonged. I started staring intently at both of them. I realized that the expression on my face had become a little more serious.
"I'm sorry, but this isn't my original world!"
Hearing that, Ghoell and Keant briefly exchanged glances. They were confused, then Keant asked again to confirm. "Huh? Not your original world? What does that mean?"
"Didn't you think I've been acting pretty strange lately?"
Ghoell and Keant nodded slowly at me. I continued my explanation to them. "Most likely, my soul has been transferred by someone who can manipulate dreams, bringing me into a different universe."
"Is that like dimension hopping through dreams?"
"Exactly, I'm amazed you understood right away, Keant!"
"Well… I just like watching movies about the multiverse, but you're not joking, are you?"
I shook my head and started to reassure them again. "I'm not the Andri from your universe! Didn't I just ask about Sylvia and Nico? It became clear when you didn't know them."
"That's true… but if you're a different Andri, then where is the real Andri from our universe?"
For a moment, I paused and looked back at the brightly shining star on the horizon.
"This is just my theory, but most likely he has been manipulated within his own dream, or perhaps held captive somewhere."
"You mean when he's sleeping?"
"Yes, remember when the teacher scolded me in class?"
They both nodded in unison.
"At that time, I also started feeling a headache. Perhaps the pain in my head is a signal because I'm occupying a different universe."
"Wait, wait!" Ghoell suddenly blurted out. He put down his lunchbox and took a step forward, then continued, "What do you mean by multiverse? This is just a joke, right? Come on, there's no way this can actually be happening… hehe."
I looked at him with conviction. His chuckle did make me feel a little pity, but there was no lie in my gaze. After all, I just wanted them to know the truth.
"This isn't a lie, is it… Andri…"
I lowered my head slightly. "I'm sorry, but I want you to help me return to my original world!"
"Don't joke!!!" Keant yelled, staring intently at me. This was the first time I'd seen him like that. At first, I was a little surprised that he wasn't as shocked as Ghoell, but eventually, he seemed to be swept along as well.
"Multiverse? Headaches? I don't care about this nonsense anymore! At first, I listened because I thought it was a bit exciting, but now I'm truly confused by all your explanations."
I nodded weakly. My body remained frozen as I stood. It was hard to admit, but I had no choice but to tell them the truth now. "I'm sorry, but this is the reality."
I opened my uniform to reveal the star mark in the middle of my chest.
"Isn't this clear enough? I am not the Andri who lives in your universe."
They both looked at me in shocked disbelief. From the beginning, I had suspected this would happen. It felt a bit impossible to ask for their help, especially since they were just ordinary humans.
"I'll explain in a bit more detail so you'll believe me more!"
I began to explain all the events I had experienced in detail, from meeting Sylvia and Nico, fighting Elizabeth and Cleopatra, Servants and Saints, the Cosmos, the Alliance of Servants, and also about the three Servants who attacked me. I explained in more detail about a man who most likely brought me to this place.
"No way…"
A moment after I finished explaining everything, Ghoell suddenly stepped forward, holding both my shoulders. His eyes were filled with immense sadness, and he started shouting, asking for his friend to be returned.
"Please… bring my friend back…"
I didn't expect them to react like this. It seemed that the version of myself in this universe was really close to them. Perhaps… more than just a friend.
I held Ghoell's hand and told him to calm down a bit. With a warm smile, I began to ease the atmosphere that was slowly turning into sobs.
"By the way, what about me in this world?" I suddenly said. I just wanted to lighten the mood by changing the topic, which might calm them both down. While wiping away the tears that were starting to well up in his eyes, Ghoell answered me in a slightly weak voice.
"Huh? What do you mean 'what about'?"
"Like… what I like, or maybe if I have a girlfriend… something like that!"
They both started looking at me again with confusion. I could only chuckle softly and hoped they would calm down again.
"If I had to explain, you're probably a gentle person."
"Really?"
Keant sat down and opened a bottle of drink next to him—it was my drink—He drank it while continuing his story about the Andri from this world.
"A cheerful kid, loves reading books, good at arcade games, and you really love mozzarella pizza."
"I'm not that good at arcade games, and I can't read a book for more than two hours—unless I'm studying—and I'm also a bit allergic to cheese."
"You're joking…" Keant said, starting to lower his head again
.
"Sorry, but that's the truth. Also, when did we first meet?"
"Did you forget? We've been friends since elementary school," Ghoell replied. His body was trembling slightly. Whether it was from fear or sadness, I could feel what he was feeling.
"I see, in my original world, we met in middle school. Could that be why we're really close?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Andri, this isn't funny, stop this!"
I exhaled deeply and took a seat in front of them. "Hhhh, I told you, I'm not joking! You can see the mark on my chest, didn't I just explain it?"
"Even so, it still feels pretty weird…"
"I see… Hahaha, for some reason, I feel a little calmer now. Maybe the me in this universe is as happy as I am now. Surrounded by friends like you, I think I should be a little more open with the Ghoell and Keant in my original universe too."
"Are you guys fighting?"
I shook my head. "No, but I put up a bit of a wall between them. Remember! I'm a Servant; I don't want to endanger their safety."
"There you go again… how long are you going to play with us!"
"I don't know, I also want to go back and save my friends who are probably in trouble right now."
"..."
They both fell silent, lost in thought. I stood up, turned around, and began to stare at the shining star on the horizon.
The star slowly began to glow brightly and descended, striking the three of us. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then transformed into Adam.
– –
A warm light began to dazzle Keant and Ghoell's eyes. They slowly opened their eyes, mesmerized as they saw an ideally muscular man standing before them. At that moment, Andri's body from the different universe fell; he had fainted but was still fine.
Ghoell and Keant slowly approached him and pulled his body to a safe place. "Hey! Andri! Wake up!"
"Who are you…?" Ghoell and Keant asked in unison.
Adam just gave a faint smile, then looked back at the sky.
"Relax, your friend is fine. Now I have my original body back, so you don't have to worry about him."
"So all of this is true?"
Adam responded with a nod. He turned around and slowly walked towards Keant and Ghoell. They were a bit scared as Adam approached them.
"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. Honestly, I just wanted to thank you for helping me get out of this world."
"But… we didn't even help at all."
Adam shook his head. "No, you truly helped me! Thanks to both of you, I can now remember all the places I visited in my original world."
"Is all that connected? I mean, does the multiverse really exist?" Keant asked with great curiosity, his eyes starting to sparkle in disbelief at Adam's presence before him.
Adam held his chin and looked up slightly as if thinking hard.
"I don't know, but what's certain is that the me in this universe is very happy to have friends like you."
When Adam said that, Keant and Ghoell's faces slowly turned a bit reddish from embarrassment. Adam could only respond to them with a slight chuckle.
"So… where are you going now?"
"Hmm? Of course, I'm going to my original world."
"But how?"
Adam walked a little further away from them both. Warm air began to fill the area around where they stood. Adam took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
"Imagine…"
Adam clenched his right fist tightly. A golden-yellow light began to spread across his arm. The light gradually grew larger and shone so brightly that Keant and Ghoell had to close their eyes.
'Now!'
BAMMM!!!
Adam delivered a punch towards something in front of him. Slowly, a dimensional space cracked and opened wide. It was exactly like the dimensional space Sasaki Kojiro created when they wanted to find Jeanne d'Arc.
Just as he was about to step into the dimensional frame, Adam glanced back—at the three of them embracing each other. Adam smiled and said a few words to them.
"You two, please take good care of the me in this universe, okay!" he said with a warm smile. He took a step and then entered the open dimensional space.
Keant and Ghoell still stared in disbelief and tried to approach the wide-open dimensional space created by Adam's punch.
"Hey, Keant."
"What?"
"Can this portal connect between dimensions?"
"I think so, but rather than calling it a portal, I prefer to call it a dimensional space."
"What do you think our counterparts in the other universe are like?"
Keant paused for a moment and crossed his arms behind his head. "I don't know, but no matter what state my counterparts are in in other universes, I hope they can all be happy in their own way."
The dimensional space instantly closed as Ghoell tried to touch it.
"Ow…"
As they were busy watching the dimensional space suddenly close, Andri suddenly woke up from his faint and looked at them both in surprise.
"What are you two doing?"
Hearing Andri's clear voice, they both immediately turned their gaze and ran to jump and hug Andri, who was still half-conscious.
"Ow!!!! What's wrong with you guys?"
"Andri… which Andri are you?"
"What? I don't understand what you're saying."
"When was the last time you were conscious?" Keant asked firmly.
"Huh? I don't know… but I remember I was sound asleep in class before, and after I woke up, I was suddenly up here."
When Andri said that, they both spontaneously hugged Andri tightly and began to sob uncontrollably.
"Oh my goodness, what's wrong with you guys? Let go! I can't breathe!"
Keant and Ghoell released him and wiped away their tears and snot. Andri could only laugh heartily at their truly ridiculous expressions. For a moment, the atmosphere calmed down, and they laughed together as Keant and Ghoell recounted all the events they had just experienced.
Andri's face broke into a wide smile as he listened to Keant and Ghoell's explanations, which he found absurd. With that warm smile still on his face, he then said something that surprised Ghoell and Keant. "If that's what happened, I hope all of us in other universes will always be together."